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Griffith towns protected from 1 in 100 flood

Griffith City Council says community consultation has been vital in ensuring residents are protected from a 1 in 100 year flood or worse.

The Council met last week to discuss the review of its flood management plan including three studies of the CBD overland, Lake Wyangan and the Main Drain 'J' flood study.

Graham Gordon, Griffith Council's Engineering Manager says the community provided essential information about last years floods.

"That's something you can't get off bureau of meteorology data, it's really the people that are experiencing it, living it that can give us that feedback," said Mr Gordon. "Also moving forward to say look this is what happened and therefore we can put in some things in place so we can protect it above that one in one hundred year."

Mr Gordon says the plan will be finalised and reopened to public feedback in June next year.

He says the future development of Lake Wyangan, near Griffith looks promising after flood studies of the area.

Mr Gordon says the Lake Wyangan study has highlighted the concentration of flows, where flood ways are and how housing and future zoning will be impacted.

And it's good news for the area's development.

"It hasn't come off as detrimental as what was originally foreseen," he said. "With our current flood plain policy development can occur and so that we know what level houses can be at so that they can be safe in those extreme events, the one in 100 year and our probable maximum flood events.""It just gives assurity to council that when they do develop they know that we can give them the latest information about how to keep their living areas high and dry."

Griffith City Council says the flood management plan is vital in securing future government funding.

Mr Gordon says after last years floods people were sceptical about the flood studies, but they shouldn't be underestimated.

"The actual state government support these and give us two-thirds funding for a reason," he said.

"When we need to put out hand up for some additional funding or to help these mitigation measures they support it because we've got an actual document that the community has been involved in."

"It's important to have these documents to look at the whole scale of it not just the microanalysis in one single area."